Merz's Conservatives Narrow Gap With AfD in ZDF Poll

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc is narrowing the gap with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to a new poll commissioned by public broadcaster ZDF. European Pravda reported this, citing dpa.

The numbers

Voters were asked which party they would vote for if a federal election were held this Sunday. The conservatives, which include Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), would improve by two percentage points to 23%. The AfD would lose two points and get 26%.

The conservatives' coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), would gain one point to reach 14%. The Greens would get 13%. The poll surveyed 1,225 randomly selected eligible voters from October 20 to 22.

A separate poll published on Thursday by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research also showed the gap between the AfD and the CDU/CSU shrinking.

Context

On October 14 an Insa poll showed a rise in the CDU/CSU rating for the first time in 11 weeks. Merz himself said recently that he is not interested in popularity, stressing that his priority is carrying out difficult reforms rather than boosting his own ratings.

Other polls reported that the vast majority of Germans think Merz's chancellorship has failed, with 58% saying they would support his resignation, and that almost half of Germans expect him to leave office by the end of the year.

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